The War For Science
by VanillaCoffeeCream
Summary: The war for science has begun. The only question is... who's side are you on?
1. Chapter 1: Hope Where Hope Had Been Lost

**The War For Science**

**Chapter 1 - Hope Where Hope Had Been Lost**

The slippery, sparkling wheat stung her aching legs. She moaned at the weight on her back. Miles and miles of wheat lay beyond her. It was going to be a long trip. She rested her back on her faithful companion and glanced up at the stars. Companion's bumps weren't very comfortable to lay on, and her legs dangled on its side, but she didn't mind. The wind blew a calming melody and the stars above twinkled with the rhythm. It wasn't long before she found herself humming a certain tune that had replayed in her head all day.

_'Cara bella, cara mia bella,_

_Mia bambina, oh ciel!_

_Che la stima, che la stima!_

_O cara mia, addio...'_

That same tune that had entered her ears when she took the final lift ride to freedom. _Freedom._ She loved it dearly. The sun shining down on her soft pale skin. The wind blowing away the dust off her face. No longer to have to carry around a heavy device that shoots out ovals into space time. Heaven at last. Yet, here she was, laying on her companion who very much reminded her of _there, _wondering which twinkling star was her old friend. As much as she was tempted to, she'd never return to _that place._ Satisfied and ready to continue on, she stood up, focused on the countless miles of wheat before her, and walked on, dragging Companion in the mud.

* * *

How long had she been walking? She'd made no progress. Wheat surrounded her from all directions. Her legs weighed a ton. It took some effort to lift a leg up and drop it back down again. Companion felt as heavy as ever. She wondered if it'd been better if she _were_ to come back. Either way she'd die. She shook the thought out of her head and continued walking. Who knew how far she had gone now. She wasn't one of those people who simply gave up and walked back to where they started. It was right there in her file. Going back was _not_ an option.

For about the 5th time that day, it began to rain. The usual wind melody was replaced with the _'plunks_' of raindrops colliding with the puddles of mud at her feet. Her boots splashed the puddles with each step. _'Dlunk'' Dlunk' 'Dlunk'' Dlunk'. _She found herself speeding up her pace, and soon she was jogging, like she used to back _there._ Wheat still carpeted the ground in the distance, but she hurried on. Companion, whom had been strapped to her back with her jacket, bounced up and down. She was instantly brought back _there, _reading one of those mysterious murals about Companion:

_ 'Not in cruelty,_

_ Not in wrath,_

_ The REAPER came today,_

_ An ANGEL visited_

_ this gray path,_

_and took the cube away.'_

The memories of these disturbing yet interesting murals made her shiver. Who had painted all of those? Could this person be still alive, living amongst the secret, dark parts of _that place_? Why had this person helplessly watched her in her efforts to escape? She wouldn't have minded if she would've been able to meet this person. In fact, she'd be _relieved_ to know she wasn't the only one left, to have a fri-

She suddenly slipped and she began tumbling down a spiky grass hill. The grass stung and the ground scraped her skin with each bump. To her left was Companion, rolling down along side her. What was she to expect at the bottom of this hill? More wheat, probably. She landed face first on a muddy field of prickly grass. Companion rolled to a stop beside her a second later. She managed to get herself up and cursed _that place_ for having her getting caught off guard and ending up with mud all over her face. She picked Companion up, held it up to her chest, and wiped the mud off her face. As soon as she was able to see clearly, she froze. Her gray eyes widened. What lay in front of her was most definitely _not_ wheat. In disbelief, she dropped Companion. Suddenly, a sharp pain zoomed up her body as fast as a lightning bolt. She let out a loud gasp and-

* * *

An unusual rhythm had been formed in the laboratories of Molecule Science. _'Bang!' 'Flinch'. 'Bang!'. 'Flinch', 'Bang!'. 'Flinch'. _Dr. Fletchen bit her lip as she struggled to settle a microchip into a slot on an object on the table in front of her. She glanced up at Commanding Officer with an annoyed expression. Officer pulled the trigger and fired another bullet. Dr. flinched, and the microchip dropped to the tiled floor below her. She sighed and bent down to pick up the chip. _'Bang!'_ Dr. flinched again and lost her grip on the chip. It dropped. _'Clamp'._ She reached her arm down for another attempt but instead shot up and smacked her hands on the table.

"OFFICER!" The lab shook. Officer heard the sudden holler and glanced at Dr. Fletchen with a confused look.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Was I bothering you, or-"  
"It's _such_ an honor to have you, the Commanding Officer of the MCPU, volunteer to assist us do science here at Molecule Science, Officer Rochelle. However, I'm trying to do some science _right now so_-"

"Yeah, I'll just... set my gun down on the wall here..." She did as she said and set down her gun on the wall. Officer examined the target she had been shooting at. 21 bullseyes out of 46. Better than last time. Dr. Fletchen, satisfied, sat back down and continued with her work. Officer strolled over to Dr.'s work table and took a seat on the left side of the table as she popped a peppermint in her mouth. The microchip had finally been placed and Dr. was now attaching wires to the plugs of her contraption.

"What _is_ that?" Officer marveled at the tech-y machine.

"It was supposed to be some sort of signal transmitter, but now it's becoming some kind of tiny R2-D2." Dr. Fletchen sighed. Officer observed the little object. She suddenly burst out laughing as she noticed the resemblance. Dr. shook her head and smirked. She reached for the wire cutters and-

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!"

"WHAT THE F-" Officer jumped and her peppermint launched out her mouth and into the trash can on the other side of the room. The table leaned to the side she was sitting on. Dr. Fletchen fell backwards out of her chair. Officer managed to catch R2-D2 just in time before it crashed into the floor.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!" Dr. sat up and everyone braced themselves, waiting. The doors in front of them made no sound. She hesitantly stood up and slowly creeped towards the doors. Her hand grasped the door's metal bar and laid her ear on the doorframe. She turned to Officer for instruction. Officer shrugged. Sighing, Dr. turned back and pushed the bar forward.

* * *

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!"

She let out a piercing scream of pain and panicked as she frantically tried to shove away the hefty cube that was squishing her tiny feet. She spun around acrobatically and the cube catapulted a foot away from her. She landed on the muddy grass in a heap, and froze. Her legs bent in odd positions. This had been the first time since who-knows-when that she'd open her mouth and something actually coming out of it. She wasn't mute after all. How could she have genuinely _believed_ those vulgar insults? She shook her head with disgust.

Suddenly, she heard the doors in front of her slowly creak open. She hestitantly glanced up. The doors of the old, concrete building she had stumbled upon were opened slightly. She could make out a face in the opening. It was a young woman, most likely in her mid-20's, with long, curly, caramel brown locks falling down to her waist messily. Her skin was a lightly tanned and her eyes were a soft dark brown. Dark circles and tiny wrinkles formed under her eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep. For a few moments, she and the young woman stared at each other blankly. Then the woman's eyes shifted to Companion. She lay a hand on Companion and glared at the woman defensively. But to her surprise, the woman just smiled warmly and she opened the door fully to reveal a plain, white, lab coat under her pale green, white plaid dress. Memories of _that place_ flickered all at once in her mind. She backed away. The woman's eyebrows lifted and she puckered her lips. It took a moment to realize that she was confused.

Another woman emerged next to the other. Her hair wasn't as messy, it was long, silky, and was a darker shade of brown. Bangs covered her forehead. She wore a lab coat as well, but was wearing a camoflauge tank top with denim, long shorts. An odd cylinder shaped object rested in her arms. _Two_ heartless scientists set out to kill her and stick her inside a machine to test for all of eternity. She was just about to jump up and run for her dear life, but the first woman's face stopped her preperations. It had changed into a friendly smile. A moment passed before she realized the smile was meant for her. There had been a silence for so long that she flinched when she head the woman spoke.

"Umm, hello. I'm Dr. Britney Fletchen. I work here at Molecule Science as a scientist." _Molecule Science? Not... Aperture Science? _She loosened her grip on the ground a bit.

"Yes, I know, it's an unoriginal name. But humanity has been through tough times, and at this point, there's no need for any funky, fancy names anymore. Nonetheless this is a _laboratory._ There's science to be done!"

"I'm Officer Shanna Rochelle, Commanding Officer of the MCPU. I also work here, except I'm a volunteer. You can call me Officer." The other woman finally spoke up. She reached out to her for a handshake but she leaned back. There could have been human blood on those hands for all we know. Confused, Officer reared back her hand.

"Why don't you come inside? You'll get a cold out in this rain!" Dr. Fletchen gestured for her to come in.

"I'll carry that cube thing for you." Officer Rochelle offered. She stood up but shook her head. No one was going to lay a finger on Companion. _EVER._ Dr. Fletchen held the door open for her as she walked inside, her boots creating a clacking sound that echoed through out the laboratory. The blistering heat of the ceiling lights and the crowded-ness of the cabinets, drawers, and boxes that surrounded her striked her senses. She slammed herself against the wall. _Aperture... Aperture everywhere._ It was only a matter of time before she'd find herself trapped against her will in the old facility, forced to do mind-blowing tests again. Insults from _Her_ would be stuffed into her ears and she'd have to breath the same room full of air for the rest of her life. Her grip of Companion tightened as thought of incinerating it again crossed her mind...

_...Cara bella, cara mia bella,_

_mia bambina, oh ciel!_

_Che la stima, che la stima, _

_Oh cara mia-_

"Hey! You there?" She awoke from her sudden blackout. Her eyes darted back and forth, remembering where she stood. Dr. Fletchen and Officer Rochelle were staring at her with worried and confused looks.

"You blacked out for a second. There's a couch over there if you want to rest." Officer pointed to a beat up, old leather couch to the right of the lab. The thought of some rest made her suddenly very tired and she strolled over to the couch in a daze. With companion by her side and her eyes half open, she stared at the cieling and relived the events she had recently encountered. She had been walking for days through an abandoned wheat field, in a land where hope had surely been lost. Then she stumbles upon a place. A place with people like her who are struggling to find a way to live another day. She had found hope. Hope where you'd never expect to find it. Hope where hope had been lost. Her eyelids slowly began to close and and she was slowly drifting off to sleep-

"Would it be alright if we were to ask what your name was?" Dr. Fletchen asked. Her eyelids were closed and she was taking a lift ride down to the old facility.

_'...Do dododo do dodo do do dododoooo do do do...'_

"...Chell."

_'...-addio! _

_La mia bambina, cara,_

_perche non passi_ _lontana?_

_Si, lontana da Scienza!_

_Cara, cara mia, bambina,_

_ah mia bella!_

_Ah mia cara.. ah mia cara...'  
_


	2. Chapter 2: The Bowl of Noodle Soup

**The War For Science**

**Chapter 2 - The Bowl of Noodle Soup**

_'...ah, mia bambina! _

_Oh cara, cara mi~~~!...'_

* * *

"How cute, it has hearts on it." Dr. Fletchen marveled at the odd looking cube Chell had brought with her. She stroked the heart pads, wiping away the mud and debri.

"You've been through a lot haven't you?" She giggled softly, careful not to wake the jumpsuited woman sleeping soundly on the couch. _'Huh, that's funny. I could've sworn I felt it respond to me.'_ Dr. shrugged and glanced over at Chell. Her arm dangled over the side of the couch and mouth was half open. She hardly moved a muscle. Her ponytailed dark brown hair stuck to her forehead. Watching Chell sleep made Dr. yawn. She turned to her right to see Officer Rochelle typing rapidly on an extremely old computer. It's apple shaped logo had been cracked and the metal rusted. There were cracks on the moniter but Officer didn't seem to mind. Dr., curious to see what she was doing, leaned her chair backward. It looked like she was playing some awfully old PC game. She was building towers with blocks of an _intensely_ old game style, the style with squares to make certain types of pictures and objects. Dr. couldn't put her finger on what it was called. Something-bit. 10bit? It was so long ago, she hadn't even been born. She wished she had. Life was probably much better than how it was now. After _that_ incident with another science laboratory, humanity had been struggling to revive itself. It had been Dr. Fletchen's idea to revive science. Something in her blood, she guessed. Something that made her _itching_ to do some science. Dr. sighed as she recalled a memory of when she first started Molecule Science. _'Good riddance.'_ She stroked the heart pads of the cube more and drew her attention back to Chell. She hadn't moved at all, but her eyes were spinning underneath her eyelids.

Suddenly, Chell flinched, and her arm began to move. She waved it around next to her oddly, as if she was looking for something to grab on too. Without warning, Chell's eyes opened and she jumped off the couch. Her eyes darted across the room and all Dr. Fletchen and Officer Rochelle could do was hold their ground, waiting to find out what terrible thing had caused her to jerk off her couch in a millisecond. Chell's eyes met Dr.'s and then darted to the cube. They widened. She pointed at the cube in panic.

"What? Your cube? Oh, I'm cleaning it for you!" Dr. Fletchen smiled and continued to stroke the heart pads. Chell shook her head violently and sprinted toward the cube. She snatched it off of Dr.'s table and athletically threw the cube behind her. It landed softly on the couch. Dr. froze, bewildered. Silence immediately filled the laboratory.

"...What just happened?" Officer Rochelle blurted out. Dr. lifted her eyebrow and puckered her lips at Chell. Chell showed no emotion in her face and calmly sat back down on the couch next to where the cube lay. She shook her head, signaling she wanted to move on to another subject. Dr. Fletchen was happy to and she stood up from her seat, grinning.

"I'm guessing you're hungry, huh, Chell? It looks like you haven't eaten in weeks! Let's see what we have in stock for you." She strolled towards the refridgerator on the other side of the couch. It was as equally beat up as the couch and was a sleek, shiny silver. It rusted on the sides and handles. The freezer's handle had been snapped in two. You could hardly see what was inside, as the lightbulb had been worn out and was dim. Thankfully, there hadn't been a scarce amount of food inside. Dr. pulled out a plastic container of cold macaroni and cheese and handed it to Chell. She sat back down and watched her slowly open the container and eye it's contents suspiciously. She took the metal spoon, scooped up a portion of the mac and cheese, and held it up to her face for anaylsis. Chell looked at Dr. Dr. nodded at her awkwardly. They repeated this for a few more times before Chell finally managed to take a bite. She chewed softly. Her face didn't reveal whether she liked it or not, which dissapointed Dr. Fletchen for some reason. She shook her mind back into focus.

"Hey, where's the screwdriver located?" Officer Rochelle asked. She had pushed the computer aside and was working on R2-D2 again. Dr. pointed to a rusted red toolbox next to the couch. Officer strolled over to it, Chell watching her every move. Officer waved kindly at her, clutched the toolbox's metal handle and walked back, settling it on her table next to her computer.

"Why do you need the screwdriver for?" Dr. Fletchen asked.

"Some of the bolts loosened yesterday."

"Oh." Dr. Fletchen chuckled. Chell said nothing, staring down at her macaroni and cheese. Her hand laid on the cube and she patted it softly. _'I wonder why she's so attached to her cube.'_ Dr. opened her mouth to ask, but thought better of it. How rude of her, snooping in a stranger's personal business like that! Chell could marry that thing if she wanted to, she'd seen worse.

Officer looked up at Chell. Her eyes fixed on her face for a second then to her shirt. She cocked her head to the side. "...Hey, Chell, what does that say on your top?" Officer Rochelle asked, spinning the screwdriver between her fingers. Chell froze.

* * *

_'QadjASkfsbepdsaehlaJklsdfDSH JsdfJSkasdfbs- bWWsshhhhswwwshhhWWshh- Exi-bWWsh-le... it takes your mind... again...'_

"I don't know why I got a job there in the first place..."

_'Exile...it takes you mind...again...'_

"I wasn't interested at all..."

_'You've got sucker's luck.'_

"Oh..."

_'Have you given up?'_

"There was this..._thing..._ that kept having me come back..."

_'Does it feel like a trial?'_

"...Was it... _her?_"

_'Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?'_

"...Yeah."

* * *

"Uh..." Officer Rochelle watched Chell fidget and twirl around the couch, knocking her cube over. Her arms were caught in her jacket's sleeves, and she was struggling to pull them loose. Eventually her arms gave out and she violently pulled them through. The jacket covered her chest and she crossed her arms to cover any leftover exposure of her top. Officer raised an eyebrow.

"Umm, Chell... it's on backwards." Chell looked down and groaned when she realized she was right. She once again began twirling around the couch. Chell jerked and twitched rapidly, her legs flinging in the air. The cube launched into the air. She had accidently kicked it and it was now hurdling towards the scientists. It nearly hit Dr. Fletchen in the face.

"WHOA!" She ducked and it maneuvered over to Officer Rochelle. She ducked as well at the last second and it flew over to the R2-D2.

"NO!" Officer Rochelle leaped out of her chair but the cube crashed into it before she could save it. She landed on the ground with a thump and braced herself for the impact, tightly shutting her eyes.

Everyone shivered when they heard the hurrendous sound echo through out the laboratory. Bolts and metal plates slapped Officer's face as it exploded by the collision. It collasped to the tiled floor. Wires, bolts, metal plates, and other remnants of the R2- D2 lay scattered all over the floor next to Officer Rochelle. She moaned, sat up, and turned her head to Chell and Dr. Fletchen. Dr. had her palm flat across her mouth in shock. Chell, shiny, gray eyes wide, stared at the scene in horror. She shook her head hastily and slapped her palms on her face, head held down in shame. Officer leaned forward, seeing she had begun crying and looked at her in sympathy.

"Chell-"

"I'm so sorry! I've been such a burden to you two-" Chell coughed, trying to resist the tears flowing down her cheeks. She panted hard. Closing her eyes, she settled her back on the couch, trying to calm herself down. Chell wiped the tears off her face and licked around her mouth, wincing at the salty taste. All Officer Rochelle and Dr. Fletchen could do was watch sympathetically. "It's been a long time since I've cried, hasn't it?" She chuckled, a faint smile appearing on her face. She glanced up at the cieling as if she was reliving a pleasant memory. Confused, the scientists glanced at each other. Dr. Fletchen opened her mouth to speak.

"...We understand Chell. It seems you've been through a lot these few days. I guess we'll have to clean this mess up and start over again! The faster we prepare, the faster we can get to do some science! Why don't you-"

"WHAT THE HE- What happened to my noodles I stuffed in here yesterday?!" Officer Rochelle hollered, interuppting Dr. She had stood up and walked towards the fridge behind her. Now, she leaned into it, searching for her lunch.

"You ate it last night when you kept complaining you were starving. I warned you not to." Dr. Fletchen rolled her eyes.

"WHA-...Oh yeah." Officer closed the doors of the fridge, turned around, and smiled at Chell. "I'm gonna walk to Sharmaine's and grab myself another bowl. Wanna come? The fresh air might help you cool yourself down!" She waited for a response. There was none. Chell stood up and gestured to the door. Officer nodded and they strolled out into the broad daylight. They both shielded their eyes with their palms as they looked toward the horizon. The sun had already rised and the sky was a bright brandies blue. There were a few fluffly, white clouds floating in the sky, slowly being blowed to the north. Officer Rochelle began walking first, following the path behind the laboratory. Chell rushed up to her.

There was an abundance of debri from past struggles. Rusting scraps of old contraptions lay scattered all over the grass, along with strange objects that could be mistaken as human bones, and pieces of broken and old children's toys. It was like a junkyard, filled with memories from what seemed like a very catastrophic past. The spectacle was spine-chilling, at least to Chell. She looked sick to her stomach and about ready to puke. On the otherhand, Officer was uninterested. She had visited this path dozens of times before, everything was completely familiar to her. There was that pile of rusted, empty cans of beans on that patch of clovers. And there was that old cloth kite that had been abandoned by a child years ago, decaying in the sun on the rock whom Officer had sat upon when science got the best of her. The list could go on. At this point, nothing scared her anymore. She had been spooked out of her witts long ago, nothing would ever be as scary again. This was where she survived after all, her home, so it was only logical to remember all there was to know about the city.

Chell's reactions confused her. When they passed the abandoned kite, Officer noticed Chell's blank expression sink into a more sad and sympathetic one. It confused Officer even more. Wasn't she just another citizen of the city like herself? The pain and suffering had ended years ago, there was no need to be feeling all this emotion now. When she'd first seen her, Officer had suspected she was one of those stowaways who had been evicted from her apartment after losing a job at one of the city's bars/cafes whom had apparently required an orange jumpsuit uniform in an attempt to attract customers. She wasn't familiar with any, but she'd seen worse and bet one actually existed. If it wasn't that, then maybe she had bumped her head hard one day and she had been transferred into some strange fantasyland where everyone carried around unrealisticly massive grey cubes with hearts on them and wearing furturistic-looking white boots and an orange jumpsuit served as a fashion statement. She had no idea where she would have gotten the cube and jumpsuit though, but again, it was a definite possibilty.

Shrugging the thought off but still slightly confused, she focused her mind on the view ahead of her. She could make out tall buildings and unused concrete roads a few miles beyond them. The city's hazy and melancholy atmosphere filled Officer's nostrils and she smiled. They had finally reached the city. Soon, they were walking on the cracking pavement of the sidewalk as they passed citizens bustling about their usual errands. Chell's gaze darted in all directions, registering what was around her. The whole walk to the city had been silent, and it took a moment for Officer to realize Chell had just spoken as they took a right to Sharmaine's.

"...I've been meaning to ask you this since this morning." Chell turned her head to her.

"What?"

"...Who's the MCPU?" She immediately stopped in her tracks and glared at Chell dumbfoundedly. _'What kind of question is that?'_ Chell glared back, confused at her reaction.

"You don't know who the MCPU are?" Officer replied. Chell shook her head. Officer sighed and continued walking as she began to explain.

"They're like our _protectors._ Our _warriors._ Our _saviors_! They fight for only one thing: for us. After-... _that_ incident, no one needed anyone else harmed, killed, or abducted by aliens. So the MCPU was formed. They're sort of like this city's police force. Except their also marines. That's where the "M" in MCPU comes from. The Marine Citizens Protection Unit. "

"...Who formed it?"

"I didn't live in his time, but I've heard some great stories about the dude. Very modest and kind, he cared about everyone. Sadly, he died fighting off an attack to the city like 30-something years ago. Nobody really knew much about him- at least not me. My father knew him. Never knew much about my father either..."

"Who runs the unit now?"

"Me. ...And General Noah Manlin. Mostly him though. When I'm unavailable, which is practically all the time now that I work with Dr. Fletchen, he's the big boss around here. Loves shooting at things and giving orders to our fellow officers. Even has a girlfriend, ha! Don't know how that guy does it. But when I _am_ available, I take over faster than he can say 'noodles'. Grab me a bowl and shoot at enemies! That's an order! Haha. I'm the Commanding Officer. I'm _pretty_ sure that's actually a rank for the army or air force but at this point nobody cares anymore. Around here, it's all about survival, and for Dr. Fletchen, science."

"How often are there attacks?"

"Attacks have been extremely rare over the past few years. It's a good thing of course but things get tiring after a while sweating like hell in a tent surrounded by stinking macho men in metal suits for hours. So instead I let General Manlin take over and I spend my time building pointless contraptions that the city has no use for with Dr. Fletchen. She performs some interesting stunts, I'll tell ya that, ha! There was this one guy... but Dr. Fletchen rather not talk about it. It's against her 'Laws of Science'. Whatever the heck those are."

"...Do you... know why she's so interested in science?"

"No I don't actually. And apparently neither does she. Probably does. She just isn't telling me. Another one of those 'Laws of Science'. 'Never tell your colleagues about your past.' Haha."

There was no more questions and the rest of the walk to Sharmaine's was once again quiet. They approached the busy burger joint, a large crowd outside its doors.

"Crap! There's a crowd. Oh well. We'll wait." They stood behind the crowd and waited patiently until they were able to enter the brick building filled with hungry customers. It had the appearance of an old-fashioned diner. The wall was a tiled, bright yellow and blue with a checkered pattern and there was a wooden floor. A counter rested on the other side of the building with the circular spining chairs if the customers didn't bother to sit on the multiple chairs and tables behind them. Handwritten menus of a diverse amount of foods were placed above the counter on the wall visible for everyone to take a peek at. It took long, but soon Officer Rochelle and Chell stood behind the counter waiting for the cashier to take their order. It was fair young woman. Her wavy, long locks were tied in a neat ponytail. She wore a long-sleeve red-and-white plaid shirt and denim skinny jeans, which was covered by a simple white apron. In her hands was a notepad, filled with orders.

"Hey Shanna!" The woman smiled. Officer caught Chell smiling back beside her.

"Hey Sharmaine."

"What would you like toda-"

"NOODLES."

"Haha, okay then. Coming right up. Hold on a sec." Sharmaine turned to the rectangular opening to the kitchen and handed a man a note with the order. They chatted for a minute and she turned back to Officer and Chell.

"You're in luck. They just prepared 5 bowls hot-and-ready. You won't have to wait and hold up the line. So much people! I feel so flattered." Sharmaine handed her a heavy plastic bowl as Officer handed her the money.

After Sharmaine had accepted it and given her her change, they headed out the joint into the sun again. The crowd outside the joint had grown bigger and it was even more a commotion than before. With a focused sigh on what was on the other side, Officer advanced forward into the herd of hungry hippos. She groaned each time she bumped into someone. If she kept at it, she'd have no more soup left by the time they arrived back at the laboratory! She just hoped Chell was able to keep up with her and was zigg zagging along behind her. Officer bumped into the last person and she stumbled out in the open, almost dropping her bowl of noodles. She sighed with relief when she peeked inside the bowl's cover to see the soup was still intact. Not bothering to look behind her shoulder and knowing how athletic Chell was -she'd displayed it several times in the lab, it was no doubt she was- she hurried on, eager to eat her delicious lunch.

"Come on, Chell!"

* * *

Chell froze in panic when she saw the last bit of Officer Rochelle disappear within the crowd. She was squished between two plump men shouting at each other for stealing each other's ham and cheese sandwhiches. While she was awfully entertained at the hilarious arguement the two shared and how somebody could feel so attached to a sandwhich, she knew she had to find away to escape and chase after Officer. She struggled to break loose, but the two men wouldn't budge. They didn't even see her. She groaned but continued on. Her position didn't change. She squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breathes. Why did it have to come to this? She had to. It was the only way she was going to escape the strong, disgusting stench of chinese food and dirty laundry. These weren't AIs she was dealing with. Her strategy seemed to be working pretty well back _there_. But this was different. This time, she was dealing with _humans._ As strong as she was, she never found the strength to deal with them. She'd been surrounded with horrible people all her life. Or had she been surrounded by horrible _robots?_ She didn't know anything about her past, and it was pretty hard to tell the difference between human and robot. Maybe this whole city was just another work of Aperture Science, and everything was programmed to mock a regular human life so the memories of where she had once been trapped inside would haunt the rest of her sixty years. Paranoia took over her mind before she was yanked back into reality. Set on what she had to do, she opened her mouth wide. And screamed. Loudly. Really loud. Why a scream? Chell had no idea. It's what managed to come out of her mouth.

"aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Almost immediately, the two men shut their mouth and looked down to see a skinny, tiny woman squished between their stomachs. Chell braced herself for what would come after. She hadn't meant for a scream to escape her mouth! This was just _great. _She could feel all the eyes fixed on her, studying her every move. She balled her fists, preparing herself for the dash to freedom.

_"On three. Ready? One...Two... THREE! That's high it's TOO high, isn't it, really, that- Alright, going on three gives you too much time to think about it. Let's, uh, go on one this time. Okay, ready? ONE-"_

Chell dashed forward, violently pushing past whoever stood in her way. She heard yelps, shouts, and yells as she advanced. Bewildered and angered faces stared into her soul. But Chell kept going. She bumped into someone vigorously and accidently spilled his coffee onto his white shirt. Apologetic, she stopped for a split second, gestured _'Sorry!'_ to the poor man,and hurried on. Soon, she found herself outside the crowd, but didn't stop and persisted on. Going too fast to know where she was going, she took a right into an alley at the last second. Then, she darted into another alley on her left. The walls were covered in distubing graffiti, but she didn't bother to take a glimpse. She found herself into an empty intersection. Her mind was going at a fiercly fast speed, searching for where she were to turn next. A thought screamed at her in the back of her head but she kicked it right back and took a right into yet another empty intersection. She stopped, unsure of what to do. Chell felt the unsettling, empty atmosphere of the city and shivered. The thought creeped up to the front of her mind as she stood there, taken by the melancholy atmosphere. It yelped at her and she suddenly jerked, almost losing her balance. She stumbled and regained her balance on one foot. Her eyes grew wide and she gulped when it finally had dawned on her.

She was lost.

* * *

_'...Exile... it takes your mind...again...'_

"I'll never forget that faithful day..."

_'Exile... it takes your mind...again...'_

"It will forever haunt me..."

_'Oh you meant so much...'_

"Whether I want it to..."

_'Have you given up?'_

"Or not."

_'Does it feel like a trial?'_

"Mhmm..."

_'Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?'_

"You _loved_ her, didn't you?"

_'Does it feel like a trial?'_

"..."

_'Oh you're thinking too fast, you're like marbles on glass...'_

"You did. Haha!"


	3. Chapter 3: Damn Lemons

**The War For Science**

**Chapter 3: Damn Lemons**

**Author's Note: Apologies for the long wait. I've been really busy and haven't gotten the time to update. Just a heads-up: there might be _quite_ a large amount of swearing in this chapter. So if you aren't a big fan of swearing... I guess leave... I really don't want you to but... thanks for viewing...I guess..? Uh... *ahem* Enjoy. **

* * *

_"EVERYBODY OUT!" The lab was in complete panic, on the verge of burning down in flames. Around every corner was sheer chaos. Pieces of the cieling tumbled to the floor. Ear piercing screams echoed through out the lab. Chemical-infused smoke rapidly filled the air. _

_"MOVE! MOVE!" She shouted. **This can't be happening. It just **_**can't. _Why was this happening_ ****now? At this very moment? _To us_?!_ It wasn't supposed to be this way. This was _not _how we planned it to be. Everything, every _single _thing we had wasted our _damn _time on, burning up in flames, right before our eyes. What would we do after this? Just down right_ _give up and act like this never happened? Take up a new hobby? Work at a low-paying department store? We had so much confidence, so much anticipation for this day. _This_ is the result of all our hard work? Might as well abandon this whole project and work at some low-class diner or something if this is what happens when you attempt_ _to do something innovative in this city. You know, giving up doesn't sound half bad actually. Just get up and leave. Let someone else do the work. This isn't exactly a requirement. No one cares about science. No one cares about how cell walls provide support and protection to cells, or why the sky is blue, or why after we eat we have to go and-_**_ Her lungs couldn't take it any longer. She choked and dropped to the floor._ _If she didn't evacuate soon, she'd surely die. So would her co- oh no - Where was her colleage? In panic, she twisted around her shoulder. She was relieved to find her on her stomach behind her, looking as frightened as she was. She gave her a reassuring nod. **We are going to get through this. Yes, we are doing to**_** damn **_**get through this. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.** __Her colleage nodded back. At that moment, her face changed from fright to sheer horror.__ Her eyes widened in panic. She frantically cocked her head at the view in front of her. Slightly confused, she raised an eyebrow at her colleage and twisted her head back around only to discover-_

_"TAKE COVER!" In a split second they were launched into the air like rag dolls at an alarming speed. They smashed into the walls, almost breaking it apart. The explosion had caused more ceiling to fall apart and wooden work tables and chairs burst into bright flames. It was a miracle they had survived. She examined the lab and fortunately they were the last two inside. It was probably best to evacuate. The door was an easy three steps away. She tapped her colleage on the shoulder and pointed at the door. She nodded in agreement and they began to work their way to the door. Suddenly, she felt a strong jolt of pain in her thigh. She screamed in agony. So did her colleage. It appeared the impact had broken their bones in individual places. She sighed in frustration and inched closer to the door, trying her best to ignore the sharp pain in her leg to just get the hell out of the place. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted something in the corner of her eye. Her eyes darted to the center of the room, where a large fire had erupted and was slowly engulfing the tiny laboratory. She squinted her eyes and noticed a faint shadow amongst the flames. It was the shadow of a figure. Anger immediately built up inside of her. She felt like _she _was about to erupt. The shadow figure darkened and was more visible to see. At the corner of her eye she noticed her colleage make a face of disgust. That was it. She couldn't take anymore of this-_

_"GET OUT OF HERE!" The figure jumped in surprise and held up its hands to protest._

_"YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO GET THE _FUCK _OUT OF THIS PLACE OR YOU'LL BE SENTENCED TO 50 MORE YEARS!" Her colleage shouted. This was when she had begun to feel rather tired and dizzy. Everything became dangerously blurry. She could hardly hear the angry shouts of her colleage anymore. They were distorted and it seemed like it morphed with another voice from somewhere else. She just felt so incredibly _tired_, why she still awake? Maybe it was time she had a little rest for once, something her colleage and her deserved so very much... **Damn lemons. **_

_After that...nothing._

* * *

"Dr."

_..._

"Dr."

_"Mnmn..."_

"Dr..."

_"No, the bananas are to go to where the bumblebees are located."_

"DR."

_"NO NOT WHERE THE CHICKEN WINGS ARE!"_

"DR!"

_"Fine... hand it to Mr. Cuddles."_

"Ohmygo- BRITNEY! WAKE THE HELL UP!"

Dr. Fletchen yelped at the sudden pang of pain on her thigh and leaned backwards in her chair.

"OH CRA-"

Before she could stop herself, she tumbled onto the floor, bumping her head on the hard, rock tile. She rubbed the back of her head and moaned as she regained her footing.

"That kick on the thigh was highly unnessesary, Officer Rochelle." She frowned at the woman in front of her.

"You wouldn't wake up! I had to do _something._ Who the hell is Mr. Cuddles?!" Officer asked, clearly frustrated at the moment.

"Oh he was- ...nevermind. He- *ahem* No. Just. Umm. I'd be truly grateful if you were to acknowledge that that was all stimulated. Where's Chell?" Wanting to forget the subject, she brushed off her hands on her coat and grinned, as if she had not been kicked on the thigh and had tumbled out of her chair backwards ten seconds before.

"Right... about that... Houston, we have a problem." Officer laughed nervously, changing her view to the pile of metal plates and bolts that had been cleaned up an hour ago. Dr. stared at her blankly, deep in thought but still managing to keep in eye contact. Slightly confused, Officer's view changed to Dr. and with an eyebrow raised, she stared back. All of a sudden, Dr. burst into obstreperous laughter.

"..._._What the hel-"

"OHH, YEAH! HAHAHAHA- 'Houston, we have a problem.' A-Apollo 13, right? HA!" She said, clenching her stomach in laughter. She kicked her chair forcefully and it plummeted to the floor with a loud crash.

"W-What? NO! Well, yeah- BUT THIS IS SERIOUS DR! LISTEN TO ME! WE LITERALLY HAVE A PROBLEM GOD DAMN IT!" Officer wasn't playing games here. Dr. shut up and widened her eyes in shock.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me it involves Che-"

"Yes, it involves Chell. Y'see... we were at Sharmaine's... and this... big... _crowd_ surrounded the entire joint. I was like, 'Crap there's a line.' and I felt worried that I might lose Chell but then I mentally slapped myself and we waited in line. After we got my noodles the crowd had gotten huger. I was like 'What the?' and there was that worry again but I hurried on because I was so hungry and I knew that Chell was athletic so yeah." Officer smiled awkwardly. Dr. Fletchen's mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"YOU LOST CHELL?! OH MY GOD!" She violently grabbed Officer's hand in panic and barged out the doors, pulling Officer along with her.

"I can't believe you lost her! Now we have even MORE problems to take care of!" Dr. Fletchen glared at Officer in disapproval as they advanced along the path to the city, passing the usual pile of canned beans, abandoned cloth kite, and rock without noticing.

"WELL I'M SORRY, OKAY? THE POINT IS I LOST HER- WAIT, WHAT?- What do you mean we got more problems to take care of?! We hardly do anything so I don't have a CLUE what you're talking about Dr." Officer argued, wincing at another violent yank to speed up her pace.

"Well, y'see, Officer... something.. came up..." It was Dr. Fletchen's turn to feel ashamed, faintly loosening her grip on Officer's arm and slowing down into a speed walk.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SOMETHING CAME UP'?!" Officer ripped her arm away from Dr.'s grasp and stopped Dr. from continuing.

"It's... something... LOOK I'LL TELL YOU WHEN WE FIND CHELL AND GET BACK TO THE LAB OKAY, OFFICER?" They didn't have to go over this now. The city they inhabited was vastly _large_ and full of sloppily-blocked intersections that hid dark secrets no one needed to be reminded of ever again. Chell, on the other hand, was just a tiny, jumpsuited woman who had no knowledge of where she was, or even possibly _who_ she was. Dr. and Officer both knew that was a dangerous combination. Big city + small woman = MASSIVE trouble, and a MASSIVE loss of high reputation for the laboratory.

_BREAKING NEWS: LOCAL LABORATORY MOURNS THE LOSS OF A WOMAN THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED WHILE TAKING HER OUT TO THE CITY, SCIENTISTS SENTENCED A LIFE TIME IN CITY PRISON FOR HOMICIDE _

Dr. shivered at the thought. No more high reputation meant no more visitors. No more visitors meant no more money. No more money meant no more Molecule Laboratories. No more Molecule Laboratories meant-

"NO MORE SCIENCE!" Dr. shouted out loud. That alone was enough to worry the hundred trillion bacteria squirming around her palm at this moment off of her. She grabbed Officer's arm but didn't move a muscle, waiting for Officer's permission to continue. Officer hesitated for a moment, slightly confused at Dr.'s random remark but nodded and they broke out into a run for the city, in search of a small woman married to a cube for the sake of their small science house.

* * *

Lost, alone, confused, depressed. All these emotions she was experiencing right now, strange and new to her like a baby learning new words. This was the first time Chell had felt this afraid. Getting lost back _there _was one thing. Chell could survive that, easily. She always had a plan back with her loyal friend the ASHPD. But getting lost over _here?_ That was a whole other story. There were no portal surfaces. No turrets. No strategies. No solutions. No weighted storage cubes. No homicidal AIs either. There was nothing out here she was used to. It was all brand new, and it was tough to conceal her paranoia. In reality, she wasn't _that _scared. But the melancholic atmostphere of the old city only made things worse. It was so different from back _there. _Everywhere you went, there was this eerie, claustraphobic atmostphere. There was always that alone vibe. And it was vastly _dark_ and depressing. Outside, there was that alone vibe too. But it was less claustraphobic and more.. _open._ Just that feeling alone. It alarmed her. But she knew it was just something to get used to. Officer Rochelle and Dr. Fletchen seemed to be just fine. Chell snapped back into focus and inspected her surroundings. Abandoned brick buildings and towers. An empty cement road with cracked pavement. Rusted metal lampposts with their lightbulbs missing and damaged. Black-and-yellow-striped "DO NOT ENTER" signs scattered sloppily around the roads. And a strange odor that made Chell feel strangely light-headed. It was pretty clear Chell wasn't supposed to be here. She strolled closer to the center, examining the directions each road lead to. They all lead to other parts of the city, where Chell had no intentions to visit. She frowned. Which way would she go? Who knows what lurked on the other side. She observed every corner, searching for some secret passageway she could travel into. Maybe if she traveled far enough she would somehow end up to Sharmaine's. It sounded like a dumb idea, but it was the best she could do. Clearly turning around and going back was not an option, and she'd rather not anyways. She had no plans of reading any more disturbing murals anytime soon. Besides, she might as well take the time to explore the city. It was her home now, and she'd have to get used to the melancholy atmostphere like the scientists had. She peeked into an alley on the other side. Nothing but more graffiti and large, untouched garbage bins. Disatisfied, she turned around to examine her other options. _Wait a minute._ She turned back. She squinted her eyes to look deeper into the alley. It looked like it lead somewhere. Another intersection? No, it lead to somewhere else. Her face brightened with hope. This was the way to go. Before she stepped into the alley, she twisted her head back and tried to remember all the details of the intersection in case she needed to find a way back. She twisted back at the alley ahead and without hesitating, she stepped into it and broke out into a jog, full of the confidence she usually had.

The view beyond her grew brighter and brighter as she progressed. She shielded her eyes with her palm. She began to question where she was going. Where _was_ she going? Was this some secret entrance to... oh no... Paranoia struck her in the brain and she skidded to a stop. What was she doing?! In agony, she dropped to the ground and tried to rip her hair out. Chell moaned. This was getting way out of control. She needed to find her way back. _Fast._ In desperation to return to sanity, she stood back up and broke out into a sprint, ignoring the increasing brightness of what was ahead.

* * *

She was almost there. Just a little more. '_Keep going, Chell.' _Suddenly, strange music filled her ears. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. Uplifting, yet somber at the same time. A perfect blend of two different sounds you'd never expect to be blended together. Chell liked it. Where was it coming from? She skidded to a stop to examine her surroundings. There were no speakers, cameras, or radios to be seen. Nothing but brick walls and the blistering brightness ahead. Was it coming from where she was headed for? Hold on, it stopped. Where did it- wait, there is it again! Why did it stop? It wasn't doing anything wrong- Hold on- Why is there this feeling she'd heard this part before? The same two mesmorizing melodies merging together to create the exact same tune. Curious to solve this music mystery, Chell persisted on, sprinting slightly faster than she was before. The more she progressed, the more the music got louder. She was getting closer to decipher this conspiracy. Soon, it was challenging to see. She had to carry on with her eyes nearly closed, but opened up enough to see where she was going. Chell could make out things in the distance. A camouflaged triangle and a smooth, tan rectangle. Had her dumb idea actually worked and she was making her way back to the laboratory? Where was the grass? That old children's kite that made her feel so sad and desperate to know more about her past? Where was it? The walls of the brick buildings vanished at her sides. Chell froze at where she found herself, absolutely baffled. The grass was no where to be seen. Not even the kite was present. All Chell could see was... nothing, as far as her eye could see. Nothing but sand. There laid the unfamiliar triangle and rectangle she had spotted earlier, right in the center. A colossal camouflage tent and a concrete building. The strange music was coming from the tent. Chell hestitated from walking inside, she didn't want to have to interact with someone right now, but it was the only she could find her way back to the laboratory without getting lost in the maze of a city. She sighed and slowly made her way to the tent's entrance. The strange music was being blasted quite loudly. She felt the urge to cover her ears but didn't move her arms at all. Chell was about to peek inside when a voice made her jump. She took a befuddled step back and listened.

"STOP PISSING YOUR PANTS AND LOOK AT ME MOTHERFUCKER!"

Chell scowled. What kind of language was this? She had to be careful approaching whom ever was speaking this disgusting language.

"TELL ME WHERE YOUR BUEVA IS OR I'LL RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND FEED THEM TO YOU!"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Who was this guy talking to? She couldn't believe her ears. Chell began to think twice about entering the tent. The strange music overlapped the man's voice and seemed less comforting now. Desperate for a second choice, she turned around and frantically searched for another place to enter until her eyes met the brick building. Taking a few steps back, she eyed the building, debating whether or not she should go there instead. It looked much safer than the tent. She hesitated for a moment but then turned around and began walking towards the building aside from the tent, relieved she didn't have to meet the man speaking the dreadful language but also slightly depressed she had to walk away from the soothing music.

"Oh I'm sorry young lady."

Chell froze. Had she been spotted? Looks like she had to face the man afterall. She inhaled and exhaled. Then she, reluctlantly, twisted her head around to see what monster she had summoned. What she saw befuddled Chell to no end. It wasn't a monster at all. It was a tan-skinned man who looked to be in his mid-20's. His chocolate brown hair was cut in a messy buzzcut and he had thin-rimmed rectangular eye glasses on top of his oval-shaped dark brown eyes. He wasn't ludicrously tall, he was as tall as Chell. What baffled her the most was the metal suit he wore. Eye-catching and bulky, it was a suit you'd expect space cops would be wearing in a 1970's sci-fi movie. Not that Chell would know that. All she was familiar of was skin-tight orange jumpsuits and mockingly clean, white lab coats. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. The suit was shiny and charcoal black and covered his body like a shell of a turtle. Chell felt the urge to reach out and touch it but thought better of it after the previous performance.

"What the fuck you doing here girl?" The man asked, eyeing Chell suspicously. He held something else in his hands but she couldn't see what it was. Curious, she tilted her head to the side to find out. He noticed Chell's movement and violently threw the thing the opposite direction. It created a huge crash on the other side of the room. Was it just Chell or had she heard a man scream?

"Well? You're wasting my time, lady." Looks like it was her time to speak.

"...I-I... I nee-"

"I don't care just go away." With that, he turned away and entered the tent, leaving Chell out in the blistering heat. She stood there for a few moments, completely dazed. But she wasn't going to give up yet. Determined to get her the information she needed, she stomped towards the camoflauged tent and pushed away its opening. Not thinking twice, she marched inside, and was immediately greeted by a dozen other men in metal suits minding their own business. She froze as they all stopped to glance over at the jumpsuited woman that had just trespassed their unit. They gave her confused looks. The man she had encountered was at the other side of the tent and in his hands were a man who had looked had just commited a crime. Chell assumed it had been the guy he was yelling at. Beside him stood two guys in metal suits as well, but they looked younger. One was blonde and his hair was cut in a buzzcut like his boss, only spikier and his eyes were an exotic green. Another was a brunette and had the same buzzcut, only longer and shaggy. On his nose sat thick-rimmed square-framed eye-glasses. They were placed atop his innocent light-blue eyes. They both seemed to feel uncomfortable standing next to the tan-skinned man. On their faces displayed looks of disgust and nervousness. Behind the three metal men sat a large radio that was still blasting out the strange music. It took a few "Sir!"'s to get the tanned man to finally notice Chell. His eyes widened in disbelief and carelessly dropped the criminal to the ground. He grunted.

"HEY, LADY! YOU HAVE JUST TRESPASSED IN MCPU PROPERTY! DON'T MAKE ANOTHER MOVE!" He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Chell. Chell's eyes widened in terror.

"YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO TELL ME YOUR BUSINESS HERE OR YOU'LL BE ESCORTED OUT OF HERE!" She would have to think fast and speak her mind before she would have her brains shot out.

"..I need a way back to Mo-"

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! GUARDS! Escort her out!" The brunette flinched at the sudden noise, his eye-glasses being slightly tilted to the side and he sympathetically glanced over at Chell. He pushed them up his nose as their eyes met.

"...Y-yes si-"

"No way, sir. Not until you change this garbage." The blonde argued, not bothering to look at her and stubbornly crossed his arms. The brunette turned to the blonde in worry but said nothing. The tanned man glared at the blonde in anger.

"Don't fuck with me shitbag." He redirected the gun to the blonde's head. "DO YOU THINK I BECAME GENERAL BY TAKING OUT THE TRASH?! NO! I DID IT BY LISTENING TO THE COMMANDING OFFICER NOW MOVE IT SHITBAG OR I'LL HAVE YOU SHOT!" Chell couldn't believe her eyes. Should she do something? The brunette began shaking nervously, desperately trying to stop him before things got worse.

"..H-hey, sir! No need to point a gun at hi-"

"Shut up Andrew no one cares about you." The blonde pulled out his own gun from his suit and aimed it at the tanned man, a smirk spreading across his face."OH, SO THAT'S HOW YOU WANT TO PLAY, HUH? DOUCHEBAG?" He taunted, chuckling snobbily. Everyone held their breath while Andrew continuously tried to stop them, placing his hand on the blonde's shoulder and muttering in the best convincing voice he could do. Chell felt a tingling sensation inside of her. Her fingers and eyes twitched. She needed to do something.

Suddenly, a _'click'_ sound echoed through out the tent. Were they actually going to shoot? Andrew froze and gradually lifted his arm from the blonde's shoulder in an awkward fashion. His eye's met Chell's. _'Help.'_

_Oh no._

Chell broke out into a frantic sprint and shoved the guards out of the way.

_'BANG!'_

The bullet zoomed past the blonde's head, scraping some of his spikes off. It marked a tiny hole in the tent as it flew out at a rapid speed.

"Now I reckon you escort her out... shitbag. And I wasn't actually going to shoot you. Scaredy cats. Get off of them, lady. What's your name?" The tanned man set his gun back into his metal suit's gun holder and crossed his arms. Slowly, Chell picked herself up from atop the guards and offered her hand. The blonde rudely refused but Andrew accepted it and she helped him back to his feet.

"Thanks. And-" Andrew whispered in Chell's ear. "Sorry." He reluctlantly grabbed her arm. The blonde did the same. They waited for her response. Chell smiled at Andrew but scowled at the man in front of her. Why was her name so important? She just needed to get back to the scientists.

"Chell." She groaned. There were a few moments of silence as the man inspected her. Then he glanced over to the guards expectantly. She felt Andrew tense.

"Well? Damien? Andrew? I don't have all damn day." Andrew started to walk out but got yanked back by Damien. He gave Damien a confused look. Damien said nothing.

"Not until you've changed this music sir. We've listened to it every minute, every hour, every _goddamn _day. I'm not going nowhere." Damien argued again, clearly not moving until he would get his wish. Chell felt the urge to facepalm at that moment. Was the music _that_ annoying? She liked the strange music. It calmed her. It seemed Damien didn't have a good taste in music.

The tanned man looked like he was about ready to facepalm as well. He glared Damien in the eye with an annoyed expression. After a moment it loosened and he began to consider his request.

"Fine. Knock yourselves out." A choir of joy could be heard from the other metal men. The tanned man gave an angry look at the crowd and they shut up. Damien let go of his grasp of Chell's arm and pushed her to the radio.

"Find us a song bitch."

"DAMIEN!" Why Chell had the sudden urge to slap the guy she was not sure. But she silently thanked Andrew for his concern and sat down near the radio. It looked nothing like the ones at Aperture. Its odd shape and appearance contrasted a lot to the usual sleek and shiny white cylinders she had encountered in test chambers. This one had gone through a lot in its life. Some of it's black paint had wore off and it was covered with rust and dirt stains. It's silver attenna was no longer shiny and it too had rust. Sometime in its life someone had broken it in half, as Chell could see its visible crack in the center. An odd, black circle with tiny holes in its center was placed on top of a dial. She guessed it was what produced the sound. Chell twisted the knob that controlled the volume and to her relief the music wasn't as loud and she could continue her search for a new song.

Now. How was she going to do this? She wasn't familiar at all what station had what and only vaguely knew any knowledge about radios. Chell twisted her head around to Damien and Andrew but got nothing but raised eyebrows and a thumbs up. She frowned in response. Nothing happened. With a sigh, she twisted her head back to inspect the radio one last time. Here goes. She turned the dial.

_'_WeeEeeRuuuuUU-

_Sweeeet home, Alabama-_

_Miku miku ni shite ageru~-_

_Boy you got my heartbeat running away, beating like a drum-_

_Hah. Hah. Hah. Hah. Stayin' alive, Stayin'-_

_There's no..savin' anything...'_

Chell stopped turning the dial. She had come across a calming song with a voice that sounded so familiar she felt slightly alarmed. It captivated her more than the strange music had. The relaxing acoustics enthralled her and made her shiver. The voice enchanted her. But the lyrics were what stopped her from changing the station.

_'But I won't be no runaway. _

_'Cause I...won't...run._

_No I won't be no runaway._

_What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?_

_We got another thing comin' undone..._

_And it taking us over..._

_We don't bleed. And we don't fight._

_Go ahead. Go ahead. Throw your arms in the air tonight._

_We don't bleed. And we don't fight._

_Go ahead. Go ahead. Lose our shirts in the fight tonight._

_What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?_

_We got another thing coming undone...'_

There was a small memory in the back of her mind that reminded her of a time when a song had caused her to feel the exact same way. She just couldn't remember what song it was and when that had happened. It was alarmingly familiar. Was it sung by the same deep, enchanting voice? She listened on until the end of the song. Everything around her swept completely quiet. She was lost in her emotions and thoughts. Her eyes began to water, and a tear flowed down her eye. It wasn't until a few minutes later after the song that she was yanked back into reality. The station was playing a different song.

_'She said anyway you want it, that's the way you need it!_

_Anyway you want it!_

_She said, anyway you want it, that's the way you need it!_

_Anyway you want it!'_

"...I like this station." Chell sharply announced as she stood up to glance over at the three men behind her. They blankly gazed at her, as if they were expecting some grand circus act to be performed in front of their eyes. She raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Is this...station...okay?" She _really _needed to head back to the scientists before things got worse.

"Better than General's lame ass music..." Damien muttered under his breath. _...General__? _Had she been speaking to the General the whole time?

"Sir, are you General Manlin?" Chell asked, eyes widening in astonishment. She had been speaking to General Manlin this whole time! He was sure to know where Molecule Science was located. Officer Rochelle's description matched perfectly.

He didn't respond. He had his eyes on Damien again, this time undoubtedly angry. Andrew eyes darted back and forth to Damien and General, watching worriedly in their staring contest. He laughed nervously and his eyes met Chell's again. At that moment, General lost it. He had enough of Damien's complaining. He vigorously punched Damien in the face, sending him flying across the tent into a soldier carrying a cardboard box of old films. They crashed and the cardboard box catapulted into the air into the arms of another unsuspecting soldier. Andrew grabbed Chell's arm.

"Come on." He urged her and they broke out into a sprint for the opening of the tent until General stopped them in their tracks.

"Hold up. You guys aren't going nowhere without me. And yes la-...Chell. Noah Manlin, General of the infamous Marine Citizens Protection Unit. Let me guess, Commanding Officer sent you? She has no business telling me what to do. I'm the boss around here." He said, gazing over at Damien and the other soldier with an annnoyed sigh. "These boys just don't understand good music. So? Would you like to tell me what your business here is? You seemed really eager to be talking to me." Andrew turned to her expectantly, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"...I-I...came here to find a way back to Molecule Laboratories. Do you.. know.. where that i-"

"Yes I do. Follow me." Getting ahold of Chell's other arm, he escorted them out, softly kicking Damien in the stomach as they passed by. "Get up, soldier."

* * *

"Five."

"Sir.. is this really necessary? W-We don't have to do this..."

"Four."

"Oh quit your whining Andrew no one cares about you."

"Three."

"But Damie- I mean sir! I don't think it's right that we break in.. especially not Commanding Officer's laboratory..."

"Two."

"Chell help me!"

"One."

With abundant force, the group kicked open the metal doors of Molecule Laboratories. It produced a vigorous noise that echoed, signaling the lab was empty.

"Check everything men. Under the desks. Inside closets. Even the damn refridgerator if you have to, boys." General said, holding the door open so the guards could proceed. They reluctlantly took a step inside. Chell refused to move and stared at the empty lab in shock. If they weren't at the laboratory... where were they? She walked to the side of the building to glance at the melancholic city, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

Gray fog surrounded the skies, covering the city's tall towers' rooftops. The grass beyond her swayed back in forth, and the wind softly blew across her face, pushing past a few strands of her shiny dark brown hair. She picked the bandage on her wrist, pulling some of it off and sticking it back again. Her mind was about to drift off to _that place_ again before a voice interuppted her thoughts.

"We couldn't find anything sir. Looked inside the closets and under the desks. Nothing." Chell heard Andrew tell General.

"Did you even search inside that damn refridgerator?"

"...No sir. We didn't."

"WELL GET TO IT THEN!"

"Y-yes sir!"

Chell smiled. There was no doubt this city was better than _over there._ There was nothing she was familiar with, and she had begun to like that about freedom. No matter where you went, you always got the chance to learn something new. Always new places to explore and new people to meet. And while there was that lonely feeling every know and then, you just have to remind yourself that you never are truly alone. There is always someone who's there for you. Be a homicidal AI or a science-obsessed woman with her noodle-obsessed colleage, you can always count on the fact that no matter where you are, you are _never _alone. Now, she was free, free to discover all there was to this interesting new world _She _had let her roam in. Chell silently cursed that damned madhouse of a science facility for getting her so emotional at times like this, and vowed to never step foot on that place _ever_ again. But you know what they say, vows were only arranged to be broken.

* * *

"YO, BOSS! I think I see someone!"

"Finally, before I go absolutely biserk here. I'm missing out on my Lindsey Stirling." The usual bright brandeis blue sky adjusted to a beautiful mix of oranges, pinks, and yellows to create the most magnificant sunset Chell had ever seen. She wished she could lay on the grass and stare at it until it diminished into pitch black darkness that was it up by twinkling lights, but they were still on the search for the scientists. She squinted her eyes to acquire a clearer view of what Damien had found and she gasped. There they were! Dr. Fletchen and Officer Rochelle! Running straight for her! She broke out into a dash towards them but General stopped her.

"Not so fast. You don't know who they are." What was this guy saying? She could clearly see Dr. and Officer running _right_ for her! They just needed to meet up and this whole thing would be over with.

"Chell! OH MY GOD!"

"CHELL!"

"What are you doing General Manlin?!"

"Let go of her General NOW!"

"Chell is staying with me unless you explain to me what the HELL is going on!" General responded, keeping his tight grip of Chell intact.

"WHY ARE YOU ASKING US?! Why don't YOU explain what's going on, General! WE HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!" Dr. Fletchen shouted, trying her best to defend her and her science laboratory.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF CHELL OR YOU'LL BE RESIGNED FROM THE MCPU GENERAL!" Officer Rochelle asserted.

"YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ME, SHANNA!"

"YES I DO! I'M THE COMMANDER OF THIS UNIT!"

"Only the PRESIDENT can resign me!"

"WHAT THE FU- WHAT- WHO SAYS?!"

"THE PRESIDENT!"

Chell sighed. She just wanted to get back to the facility and finish up that leftover macaroni and cheese. She had been through enough for one day.

"Could everyone just-"

"WHAT THE _HELL _ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! WHAT PRESIDENT?!" Officer retorted.

"THE PRESIDENT OF THIS WHOLE DAMN CITY, THAT'S WHO!"

"...Either you are talking about our mayor or you're just crazy, General. That music must've really got to you." Chell felt a surge of frustrastion shoot through her. She couldn't take this anymore. She had to stop this.

"COULD EVERYONE JUST-"

"COULD EVERYONE _PLEASE_ BE QUIET!" Dr. hollered. With that, everyone shut up and she breathed a frustrated sigh.

"Look, General. All we need is for you to let Chell go and have her return with us back to the laboratory. We had lost her on a stroll to the city this morning and on her way back she had found you. That's all, Noah. Nothhing is going on." Dr. calmly explained, slowly massaging her eyes. She appeared completely exhausted.

"...As you wish, Dr. Let her go soldiers." The guards loosened their grip on Chell's arm and she broke free. She dashed towards the scientists and tackled them in a hug.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, Officer." General stiffened his position, back straight and arms flat on his side.

"At ease, General. Thank you for taking care of Chell here. You too Damien. Andrew." Officer grinned and the soldiers headed back to their unit.

As the three silently strolled the path back to the laboratory, Chell marveled at the night sky shining aboving them. It was nights like these that made her feel so content to be here. To be free. She had the whole night sky to herself, and she had grown fond of that.

"So. What's this unexpected problem you were going to talk about?" Officer asked, breaking the silence.

Dr. Fletchen breathed a unpretentious sigh and responded with two simple words. Although Chell had not a clue what Dr. meant, she smiled. She couldn't have said it any better.

"Damn lemons."

* * *

_'Vilify...'_

"I don't love her."

_'Don't even try...'_

"I don't..."

_'Vilify...'_

"I... don't..."

_'Don't even try...'_

"You do love her."

"..."

He sighed.

She giggled.

"Don't deny it."

* * *

**Author's Note: ****I'm not a big fan of adding author's notes after chapters, but this chapter does require some explanation. ASDH4GEDAJHRGGAJHRASHDGFJSDK FGSDFN There, if you have any questions just remember what I said in slow motion. Seriously though, ASDH4GEDAJHRGGAJHRASHDGFJSDK FGSDFN. I've FINALLY finished this BEHEMOTH of a chapter! I TRULY hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I've kept you waiting for quite some time. When I do things in 3s, my third attempt usually is the worst, this is why I'm incredibly worried. Now, if there's anything you find bothersome, ANYTHING at all, YOU HAVE TO WRITE IT IN A REVIEW. Be it grammar errors or out-of-character errors, I don't care JUST POST A REVIEW AND THERE WILL BE CAKE! Am I being to vague? I DESPISE not getting critiques, I LOATHE not getting critiques, that ARROGANT, SMUGLY EMPTY, AWFUL, JUMPSUITED, MONSTER of an EMAIL INBOX! (Portal references, Portal references everywhere.) With that said, that strange music Chell had admired is "Song of the Caged Bird - Lindsey Stirling". You should be able to find the rest of the songs by typing the lyrics into Google. You can find anything on Google these days. Special thanks to my friends who have helped a great amount with this story and have continued to encourage me to continue writing. Love you guys! :D**

**the cake is a lie **

**but please review**

**Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4: Cause I Won't Run

**The War For Science**

**Chapter 4: Cause I Won't Run**

* * *

_Sleep Mode Activated_

_Commencing Automatic Dream Sequence_

_Settings Set To: DEFAULT_

_Version: 10.8_

_If You Wish To Modify Or Delete This Feature, Consult Your Nearest Maintenance Manual For Further Instructions By A Professional _

_Dream Loading: 50%_

_WARNING: System Has Detected An Error. Dream May Appear Corrupted. An Alert Message Has Been Sent To An Engineer _

_Dream Loading: 78%_

_107 Error._

_107 Error._

_Dream Loading: 100%_

_AUTOMATIC DREAM SEQUENCE COMMENCED_

_WARNING: Before Continuing, We Hope You Acknowledge That If Your Dream Contains Mentions of A Such Thing Known As Black Mesa, Please Alert An Engineer Immediately Or Suffer Consequences._

_WARNING: If The Above Warning Is Unable to Assist You, We Have Included An Additional Warning To Aid In Your Dreaming Experience. Please Acknowledge That Consequences May Include: Andr-sJDSFJnsdfJKfsdksdfJKKKWWEIi iiiiiiiiiiiiaaa_

_107 Error. Dream May End Up Corrupt Or Possibly Dangerous. Do You Wish To Continue?_

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Officer punched the keyboard of her laptop in outrage. "THOSE DUMBASSES HAVE NO RIGHT TO GET INTO OUR BUSINE- Oh crap." She stopped in the middle of her rage and frantically got her fingers aligned with the laptop's arrow keys before a herd of skeletons killed her Minecrafter, not bothering to kill them herself. After years and years of playing she had gotten attached to the skeletons. Insta-trees and arrows are useful. Dr. Fletchen wouldn't have gone _near_ them. Hell, she couldn't even approach a lone spider without running around the map like mad searching for a place to hide. Of course, there wasn't none as she would always spend the whole day trying to craft some new type of material to build a monster-proof house. After she had guided it back into her Oat and Spruce Wood house and shut the door closed, she sighed and drew her attention back to the grieving women adjacent from her.

"I know. It's a disaster. I was informed of this when you two left. This whole thing is just a waste of time." Dr. Fletchen breathed a frustrated sigh with her head held down, arms resting on her knees. At that moment the door of the bathroom creaked open and out exited Chell, her dark brown hair flowing down to her shoulders, dripping wet. Instead of her usual orange jumpsuit, she wore a notably over-sized black t-shirt with denim shorts she had borrowed from Dr. and Officer, as well as bright yellow sandals instead of her futuristic white boots. She looked much more refreshed and content than usual, a hardly noticable but genuine smile on her face. When Chell noticed the two scientists glancing at her, her faint smile grew. She was in a good mood. The scientists smiled back in response, only their smiles were not as genuine.

"How was the shower, Chell?" Dr. asked, standing up and walking over to a seat next to Officer so Chell could have her privacy with her cube.

"Wonderful." Chell patted her beloved cube blissfully. Dr. grinned with relief but it wasn't long before it faded and she went back to grieving, massaging her forehead in frustration. "What are we going to do about this?...Damn lemons." She mumbled.

Chell's smile faded.

"..What's going on?" She asked sternly.

Officer sighed. "It's all a bunch of crap, Chell. We're behind on our bills. The city council thinks we're a-" Officer turned away from the laptop monitor and raised up her hands to gesture quotation marks. "-_Difficulty _to the city and want us shut down. They also think you should get therapy."

There was no change in Chell's expression; she stared blankly.

"...Therapy?"

"Yeah. It's all bullshit."

"No, I don't understand. What's therapy?"

"Therapy is a treatment of disease or disorder by using some kind of rehabilitating process. They think you have problems and want you to talk to someone to cure it." Dr. explained. Understanding, Chell's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!" She cried. "I'M JUST- just..." Chell redirected her view to her cube, sitting content beside her. She didn't finish.

Silence followed and Officer and Dr. glanced at each other with their eyebrows raised. They realized they hadn't known much about her at all.

Who _was_ she anyway? This strange woman with her strange ways. Everything about her, it was a mystery. Where did she come from? Who was she? Why was she here? What is it about her cube? There were many questions.

"...Chell?" Dr. said. Chell jumped. She drew her attention to Dr. nervously.

"Pardon me if this is too personal for you but..." Dr. paused. "Who are you?"

Then Dr. and Officer both held their breath, awaiting the response.

To their dismay, there was none. Chell didn't say anything. She didn't cough or clear her throat. Her body didn't twitch or fidget around. It was as if the question had caused her to... _turn off._ She looked lifeless; frozen. Like a corpse. Looking straight at something in front of her that the scientist failed to see. What things had this woman seen that had wiped the color out of her irises?

Then she said something.

"A monster."

And without any wave or recognition, she stood up and walked out the door, the slam of the door echoing in the eerie silence.

* * *

_'But I won't be no runaway._

_Cause I...won't...run.'_

Yet here she was, running. Running from the very thing she had fought so hard for. Running from_ freedom_, because it was too hard for her to bear.

_'No I won't be no runaway. _

_Cause I...won't...run.'_

Her cheeks were wet. She increased her speed.

_'No I won't be no runway._

_What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?'_

She passed the pile of old empty cans. She passed the rock. She passed the abandoned old kite.

_'We got another thing coming undone._

_And it's taking us over.'_

She stumbled, losing a sandal. But she kept going. Kept running, because it was all she knew how to do.

_'We don't bleed, and we don't fight._

_Go ahead. Go ahead. Throw your arms in the air tonight.'_

Blood dripped down her knees, and they ached terribly. But you know what she did? She kept going.

_'We don't bleed, and we don't fight._

_Go ahead. Go ahead, Lose our shirts in the fight tonight.'_

She slipped on mud and fell face first onto prickly grass. But she quickly got back to her feet and proceeded.

_'What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?'_

Was she _really_ going to go back to Aperture?

_'We got another thing coming undone.'_

After all that had happened to her in freedom?

_'We got another thing coming undone.'_

Was she really going to let it all go?

_'And it's taking us over.'_

Just for some recognization? Just for some good-for-nothing science? Just to get killed again? Just to test again?

_'And it's taking forever.'_

_Where was she going?!_

Chell slid to a stop at the foot of the wheatfields.

She couldn't go back. She _wasn't_ going to go back. _Ever._ Not today. No. She wasn't going back to that hell.

Chell could taste the saltiness of her tears and their warmth on her cheeks. Her song replayed over and over and only made her feel worse. The swaying wheat beyond her mocked her. Her brow furrowed in anger. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She stumbled at her head's sudden increase of weight. Why had it become so cold all of a sudden? Her eyesight blurred and the wheat stalks in front of her became nothing but a raging golden sea. She hugged her sides tightly in an attempt to stop the trembling; she only grew dizzy. She could feel her legs declining. Her eyesight was blanketed by the golden sea. She vaguely noticed the twang of pain that striked her skull.

Everything went dark.

* * *

Heavy breathing. A door closing shut. Echoing footsteps.

"_Ahem._"

A throat cleared. A page being flipped. Writing being jotted down with a pencil. Then an unfamiliar voice.

"Sorry to inform you, ladies but... " A long pause and a flip of a page. "She suffered an anxiety attack. A hurrendous one. It's a miracle she's healthy without some remaining side effect. You know, she's very lucky. Unlike no one I've ever seen! I've never, in my entire life working at this old hospital, seen this before. It's inhumane! No way would a woman like her have so much unsafe elements in her to even be _alive. _Her scans revealed traces of asbestos and poisonous toxins, but miraculously she's as healthy as any ordinary woman. We suspect it has something to do with her immune system, but we do not have a sure answer. A very strange woman, indeed."

A pause.

"...B-But I'm happy to say she's alright and can continue living normally. I reccomend lots of rest and a healthy eating diet. Any ideas on what could have caused it? I hear your laboratory has had some financial problems. If she is causing these problems, I'm afraid some arrangements might have to be planned."

"No, impossible. She would never do such a thing. Our financial problems have nothing to do with her. Although, it might have put pressure on her.."

It was a voice that she recognized responded.

"Hmm. Drugs, perhaps? Possibly alcohol?"

"No, not that we know of. She doesn't seem like that kind of person."

"So, I understand she's going to be okay, right?"

One more voice entered the conversation.

"Of course, Officer. She'd just been going through a lot, and her small body wasn't able to take it all. Rest and a healthy eating diet will fix her up in no time. She looks awfully thin. Has she been eating much all?"

"We don't know... but you're right. She's _extremely_ thin. It's unhealthy!"

"Oh my goodness... I can't believe this! Why didn't I notice it before and help her?!"

"Relax Britney." The second voice snapped.

"Yes, relax Dr. She just needs some rest. She'll be better in no time."

A concerned sigh.

Chell gradually opened her eyelids to find herself in a bright white room. Looking down on her were three people, two women and a man. They all happened to wear white lab coats. She recognized the women instantly; the man was unfamiliar. He had glasses like General Manlin and was nearly bald. When he noticed Chell was awake, he grinned.

"Good morning, mam. Do you where you are?"

Chell shook her head.

"You're in the hospital. I'm Dr. Edward Michagen. How's your head?" He patted his head, as if he thought Chell had gotten amnesia and didn't remember what her body parts were. She growlered at him. What did he mean by that?...

"You were near rocks when you fainted." Officer explained.

Oh.

Chell gestured a small nod, a faint smile accompanying the answer.

"Good! Why don't you go ahead and sit up?" He slipped his hand under her back and assisted her up to a sitting-up position. Chell stared as he lifted his hand away from her back and placed it in his pocket. Surprisingly, he didn't react. He raised his free hand dangling at his side to peer at his watch and his eyebrows elevated in astonishment.

"Oh! Goodness gracious. I'd forgotten. Well, I'll leave you three alone. If anything happens, alert me immediately, understand?" With a stern look at the two scientists, Dr. Michagen turned around and strolled out the door. Chell glared at Dr. and Officer.

"What is it, Chell?" Officer asked, confused.

"Dr. Michagen." Chell retorted. They gave her puzzled looks.

"You are not suspicious of him at all?" She said sternly, eyebrows lowered in a serious gaze.

The two scientists began chuckling at her strange question.

"Of course not! We've known him since we were children!" Officer clarified.

"He was one of the only supporters of Molecule Science back when it first began. Him, and..." The atmostphere was suddenly replaced to one more solemn as Dr. Fletchen stopped her chuckling. Officer Rochelle saw this and frantically cleared her throat. Dr. flinched, and the atmostphere was gone.

"B-but we don't have to talk about that. There's science to do!" Dr. Fletchen tried to smile but Chell knew it was fake. "We're so sorry about today. I shouldn't have asked that question, it put too much pressure on you. I knew you had been going through rough times, I just wasn't careful."

Chell shook her head and grinned, assuring her it was alright.

It wasn't too long before it vanished, and she sighed in frustration. What had she thinking?! How could she have been so _stupid?_ Had she really wanted to go back to that _hell_ of a science facility? She buried her face into her hands and rubbed it against them. She just wished she could move on and start over, but she knew from the beginning that it would take some time to adjust. It was going to be quite sometime before she would be able to fully settle in. To finally be able to live and explore this vast world that had been simply handed to her, without any reminders of that hell. To finally be _free_. Was that too much to ask?

Officer sympathetically patted Chell on the back. They understood her perfectly, even without her speaking a word. She liked that about them. They understood how people felt without having to tell them. They cared about her, so she cared about them. She'd never let anything happen to them. Chell furrowed her brow in determination. No one would ever step foot into that damned science hell ever again, and she would make sure of that. Nothing would stop her. Not even cake. Not even those damn lemons. And that was a vow she would definitely keep. Vows were only arranged to be broken?

Bullshit.

* * *

"Alright, Chell. Make sure to take lots of rests, okay? We don't need this happening again." Dr. Michagen reminded, giving Chell an ascetic look.

"Don't worry, Edward. We can take it from here. Thank you so much for all you've done." Dr. Fletchen grinned in gratitude.

"No, thank _you_ for making sure I don't die from boredom in this empty library of a hospital! No one would want that, right?" He retorted, and they all shared a chuckle or two. "Pleasure's all mine, Mrs. Fletchen. Mrs. Rochelle. I'll be off! Take care of yourselves, ladies." With a wave farewell, he turned around and took a left back to his office.

For a moment no one moved, thinking their last thoughts before they were to travel the long walk back to the laboratory. Dr. rubbed her face with her palms to wake herself up.

"Well, let's head back, shall we?" Dr. suggested and they slowly began to make their way out into the open to be greeted by a soothing fall breeze. The hospital's automatic doors opened for them, happy to operate for some bystanders after a long time idle.

Dr. wondered how many times they've opened and closed for people in their lifetime. What kinds of people had they opened for? Who were those people? Had there ever been a time when they _didn't_ open their doors for someone? If so, who was this person? Why wouldn't they have opened their doors for someone? Automatic doors with feelings? That was inpossible, of course. However, what about the person who controlled the doors? Dr. had always wondered that if the motion sensors placed atop the doors were installed with cameras, very small but functional cameras that could identify whoever walked in and out. Who _was_ that person that had been survaillancing these doors all these years? What people had this person seen walk through these doors? Why would've he stopped this someone from walking into the hospital?

Britney snapped back to reality in a daze. She shook her head at her obscene thoughts. She should be thinking of how to save her precious laboratory, not about automatic doors. That had always been an unique trait of her. She frequently overthought about things, uninteresting things like automatic doors. It had never been revealed how she had inherited this trait. It was just a unique thing she had always done. She glanced over at the women next to her, whom was gaping in awe at another one of the city's gorgeous sunsets. The soothing fall wind brushed against her chestnut hair gracefully, her thick strands swirling around like raving fire. Something unexpectedly clicked inside of Britney as she stared at the face of the woman that was once a complete stranger.

She gasped. Chell and Shanna gazed over at her in confusion but Britney ignored them. Her eyes were fixed on Chell, deep in thought.

Yes, her face looked vaguely familiar. Those distinct, gray eyes. That expressionless face. She had seen her before. Dr. looked away, trying to remember where she had seen she seen her in the laboratory before? Perhaps a simple stroll to the city on an idle day? She thought about all the possible ways she could've seen her, but nothing felt right. Defeated, she sighed.

Chell raised an eyebrow. "Dr. Fletchen?"

Dr. opened her mouth to respond but thought better of it and shook her head. They proceeded along the path in silence for the rest of the trip as the last few minutes of daylight finished up and the first few stars emerged in the night sky.

* * *

"Zach, do you remember how many cups of sugar the recipe instructed for me to add?" Sharmaine twisted her head around, grasping a measuring cup and a small sack of sugar in her hands.

Her boyfriend looked up from his cell phone. "2."

"Oh, thank you." She smiled and poured the sugar into the measuring cup, making sure she hadn't poured too little nor too much. The powdery sugar tumbled out of the cup in glops and into the bowl full of ingredients to be mixed later on. Then she reached for the pack of eggs and removed a pair to be cracked into the bowl. After that was done she picked up her mixing spoon and mixed up the ingredients, swinging her arms in a circular motion with a content smile. Oh, the joy of baking a few hours before the daily morning rush! She had been experimenting something new, a new type of pastry that you could eat on a stick. Cake Pops. She had discovered the recipe in an old cooking magazine while cleaning out the attic of her own tiny diner.

_"Volume 22, Season 5, April 14, 2247. Baker's Digest: Vintage Recipes Galore! Revisit Old Delicacies of the Past!"_

April 14, 2247. Years before she was born, and another decade of wasted years of war between human and non-human. Thank god it had ended by the time she was little. She shivered at the unpleasant memories and sulked. It was a miracle how this town had survived it all. Imagine what would've happened if the same thing that happened to her father happened to her. She didn't want to.

Suddenly Sharmaine felt warm hands on her shoulders. She gasped in surprise.

"Relax, it's me. You froze in the middle of your mixing. If you wait any longer it'll go bad." Zach said, looking at her anxiously. Sharmaine grinned, nodded, and eyed her dough. It was nearly solid. She sighed. After Zach had returned to his seat, she continued mixing, her swings less confident than before, now more like stiff, rigid ovals.

* * *

She handed her a spoon.

"Here, eat." Dr. Fletchen insisted.

Chell stared at the contents in suspicion then dug the metal spoon into it to lift up a chunk of a mushy jello-like substance.

"It's really good, Chell. Try it. Sharmaine's cream of broccoli soup is delicious." Dr. Fletchen smiled the most trustworthy smile she could manage.

Chell furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at her in confusion. Cream of broccoli sounded disgusting.

"It's not as strange as you think. Just try it. If you don't like it that's fine." Dr. turned away, slightly annoyed, and took a seat at the table Officer Rochelle was sitting at, who was once again on her laptop, this time mining for diamonds. She noticed something in her deep thoughts. There really wasn't much to do. Which baffled her for some reason. She had always been busy. But when the things that needed to be done were completed... the only thing that was working hard was the air conditioning. Its constant whir filling in for the silence that was a common visitor in the colleages' lab.

_'One minute I held... the key...'_

_'Next the walls were closed on me'_

_'And I discovered that my castles stand...'_

_'Upon pillars of salt...and pillars of sand...'_

Their radio was playing a familiar song, it too contributing to fill in the silence. Dr. only wished the city had a better education system. She could never figure out what this song was about. It'd been playing years and years before she was born. Ever since the incident of her childhood, the music industry had since gone out of business and all is left of it is music of the past. No one ever made their own music anymore. There were no popular fads or trends or fandoms. It was all just a jumbled up mess. Would there ever be a day where new music would be once again see the bright of day? At least science was slowly progressing. At the corner of her eye, she noticed Chell take a large sip of soup from her bowl. Her eyebrows were squeezing the skin right above her eyes. She looked distressed and angry for some reason, but her eyes were glued to the radio. Did the song have some meaning to her?

Her eyes were fixed onto the radio until the song ended, and the angry atmostphere simply faded back to normal. Chell caught Dr.'s eye and at that moment Dr. regretted to having stared at her the whole time. However, Chell didn't give off any clues to having known she had been, and showed her empty bowl to her with a straight face.

"It was good."

Dr. smiled.

"That's-"

Suddenly, there was a rough knock on the door. Instant silence.

Knockknockknock.

"This is the MCPU! Open up!" A muffled voice shouted outside the laboratory's doors. He whispered into something. "Alpha you got the back?"

"Yeah." Someone responded.

"I WILL BREACH OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"Wha-what is going on here...? Officer, did you request them?" Dr. Fletchen stuttered.

"No... the hell?" Officer Rochelle scowled, confused, and made her way towards the door. When she got there, the man behind the door shouted again.

"OPEN THE HELL UP!"

"Relax, relax, don't get your spit all over our do-"

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! JIMMY GET THE BREACHING CHARGE!"

Officer opened the doors, and there stood General Manlin, behind him stood a team of armed men. In General's hands were a pair of handcuffs.

"...What's the meaning of this, General Manlin? I demand to know!" Officer snapped, recoiling.

"We were instructed by the City Council to arrest Miss Chell. They want her in mental therapy. Show us where she is!" With force, he pushed Officer away and intruded into the laboratory.

Once Chell noticed the handcuffs, she jerked up from the couch and backed away, her only weapon her spoon, now slightly bent. Her eyes were glued on to General.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Dr. Fletchen exclaimed, she too jumping out of her seat in outrage.

"Just settle down and we can handle this in a respectful manner, Miss. I mean no harm, only the good of the city." General gradually creeped towards her in a fashion as trusting as he could muster it to be, persuading her the most he could. His efforts didn't seem to be working. Chell continued to back up and watch like a mother animal protecting its offspring. She was focused, ready to strike, and she didn't say a word.

"Those damn sons of bitches have no rights to barge into Dr. Fletchen's laboratory and _take away_ one of her guests, who is _clearly_ innocent! You know it yourself, don't you General?" Shanna exclaimed.

"Do you think I enjoy this, Commanding Officer? It's called "going to work', you should try it sometime." General lost all his patience.

"Alright, lady, you want to make this hard for everyone? GHOSTS! Put them in 'cuffs!" At his command, a portion of the armed men approached the two scientists and cuffed their hands together.

"This is crazy. LET US GO!" Shanna struggled to break loose from the man's grasp, but to no prevail. "YOU CALL THIS GOING TO WORK?!" Britney looked at the verge of tears, but didn't move and reluctlantly let them cuff her hands together. She didn't want to take any risks on losing her reputation. Chell's eyes widened, and stopped backing up. She hestitated. What was she supposed to do? General sighed. Sweat dripped down his neck, he was just as troubled as she was.

"Good. Now if you could just let me take you in to the council, we can settle this matter out, okay? Like I said, I don't mean any harm."

Chell's eyebrows lowered in anger. "LET THEM GO!"

"Now, now, Chell. Are you even listening to me? It's not like I'm going to harm them. They will be let go once we meet the council. I promise. Now - would you kindly stop pointing that spoon at me and we can handle this nice and easy?"

Chell froze. Then she caught sight of the spoon in her hands and realized that sure enough, it was pointed at him. She violently threw it to the side and it striked Companion's heart graphic. Chell cringed when she heard the noise.

"Okay, you're doing fine. Glad you were listening that time. I'm going to approach you now, okay? Don't do any tricks..." General made her way towards her. Chell's eyes went biserk, looking in all different directions, but she didn't move.

"Alright, back to the humvee you go," said one of the men holding on to Dr. and Officer suddenly, and they began ushering them out the laboratory. Chell watched their movement protectively. That was when something clicked. They were a few steps from walking out the door. She instantly broke out into a sprint.

"GENERAL, NO!"

A blast of electric, petrifying noise spread across the room. The sudden strong buzz made everyone in the room stop in their tracks and duck for safety. It was horrifying. The scientists screamed in fear and agony while the other men struggled to keep their ground. Then it stopped. Silence regained its place in the laboratory once again. What they saw afterwards was not a pleasant sight.

"... ...A-Alright, people... grab that miserable heap on the floor and put her in the humvee..." General wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm.

"This is completely obsurd! You have no right to barge into my business and do whatever you want with it! I want to speak someone about this! IT'S NOT FAIR!" This time, it was Britney that was struggling to break loose, but like Shanna she could not be broke free. She weeped. To General's command once more, another group of men walked inside. Setting their guns inside their suits' gun-pockets, they extracted their arms to the floor and heaved up the unconscious body. Chell's limbs dangled, lifeless, as they carried her away. The men holding on to the scientists pushed them out the door without a single word being said. General was the last one to leave. He stood there, quietly, looking down at his tazer. His head lifted up and he examined the room. He didn't notice anything suspicious. In his eyes, Chell was a perfectly fine woman. Pretty, even. But he knew looks were deceiving. He'd learned that a long time ago. General felt the urge to throw the tazer on the floor. He didn't want to be the bad guy. No, he wasn't like that. He didn't join the Marine Citizens Protection Unit to be the bossy-ass. But what was he supposed to do? General was not one for drama. Suddenly, he caught sight of where Chell had sat, where her empty bowl and... thing lay. He picked up the bowl, sniffed, then recoiled, disgusted. What the hell had this woman been eating? He picked up the spoon on the floor and dropped it into the bowl. Then the cube thing caught his eye. He just... stared. It was tempting to touch it. His arm elevated closer to it, but he thought better of his temptation, and laid his arm back on his side. The thing almost felt alive.

"HEY, BOSS! ARE WE GOIN' OR NOT?" Private Damien shouted outside. General flinched awake but didn't move a muscle for the next few seconds. He glared until he felt it was right to quit, shrugged, and then made his way out the door.

Its shut echoed like it always did, giving off that frequent eerie silence. Nothing moved, nothing suddenly sprang into life, or made a sound. The spoon inside the bowl slid to the left a little, but the cube sat in its spot on the couch like always, contentfully-

And it waited.

* * *

_"You've got sucker's luck"_

Bubbly laughter.

"No need to hide it! I've had my fair share of love every once in a while!"

_"Have you given up?"_

"I-It's not funny."

_"Does it feel like a trial?"_

"Oh come on, don't be such a grumpy bear!"

_"Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?"  
_

"...This is different."

_"Does it feel like a trial?"_

"Y'know, People would _kill_ to have your problems! Not everyone has love lives, haha!"

_"Did you fall for the same empty answers again?"_

"...S-Shut up!"

* * *

**AH: Apologies for the delay. I was planning on doubling the word count, but I hadn't updated in such a long time and if I were to continue, my perfectionism would take over and this would be finished by the end of the year... I hope it's still satisfying. No promises on when Chapter 5 will be up. Song in the radio was Viva La Vida - Coldplay. **


End file.
